


The Gentleman Caller

by pocket_pict



Category: CyberSix
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:08:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26687947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pocket_pict/pseuds/pocket_pict
Summary: Big Bang visits Meridiana and finds Cyber's life as interesting as always.
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

I can go anywhere and do anything, but for some reason I keep coming back to Meridiana.

Now, I’m aware the place has its problems. There’s crime, there’s corruption, there’s always a gap between the haves and have-nots. But calling it “The City of the Damned” is a little overdramatic, in my opinion. It’s not as if it’s a war zone.

Actually, that’s not completely true. There is a war going on, but it’s a secret war, under the surface where most people never see it. More often than not, the worst battles are fought and won by Cybersix and her allies, and things are quickly swept under the rug again. Meridiana’s attention span is short.

Cybersix is probably a big part of the reason I keep coming back here. She leads an interesting life, even if she doesn’t acknowledge it. Hell, she may not even realize it. But that’s perspective for you.

I was thinking about her and her interesting life the last time I decided to visit Meridiana. I had just been in Rio and decided to catch a short flight south in the cargo hold of a jet. Given the choice, I obviously prefer riding in the cabin, but sometimes it’s just easier to sneak in with the checked luggage. On long haul flights I always try like hell to get into one of the carry-on bags, though. It’s pretty cold in cargo. I suggest bringing a sweater.

I arrived not too long before sunset and squirreled away my belongings at the Waldoff. From there, I hitched a series of rides until I got to Oesterheld Street, where Cybersix lives – or rather, where her alter-ego Adrian Seidelman lives. I hoped she was home, but unfortunately, I had no way to find out short of climbing the side of the building, King-Kong style, and looking in the window.

(As an aside, I don’t know what she tells people about where she lives as Cybersix. It’s impressive how well she pulls it all off; I can’t imagine it’s easy.)

I was prepared to make the climb, in any case. I had just made it past the front door of the building when I caught the sound of her voice escaping through the gaps of the doorframe. I quickly flattened myself up against the wall and hid in the shadows as she emerged onto the street.

The first thing that surprised me was the dress and the pair of black heels she was wearing. Most of the time, it’s Adrian who uses the stairs and Cybersix who uses the window. She’s got that nosey landlady to watch out for, after all. But I wasn’t exactly worried and shrugged it off soon enough. She’s not a reckless person - she knows what she’s doing.

I forgot all about windows and doors once the second surprise hit me. I had heard Cybersix talking to someone as she approached, so I knew she wasn’t alone. What I didn’t expect was who – or what – she was talking to.

She paused and held the door open as a second woman walked out. I caught her scent drifting towards me, and chills ran down my spine. I didn’t need to see her eyes to recognize where she had come from – another issue from the lab of that mad creator of ours. Not an especially recent one, but recent enough that I could still smell the place on her.

That was the moment I started to worry. Obviously Cybersix can recognize her fellow creations by their eyes, just like I can. But that didn’t answer the question of what she was doing at her apartment with the woman. That seemed like such a terrible risk. I hadn’t seen the woman’s eyes for myself yet, and I started to wonder if von Reichter had stepped up his game. Maybe this one was somehow able to fool Cybersix into thinking she was human. What if she couldn’t pick up the scent like I had? What if I were the only one who could identify her?

They waited at the curb to hail the next cab which, as I expected, didn’t take long. Neither of them was particularly hard to ignore. I made a run for it as they got in and grabbed hold of the undercarriage of the cab before it pulled out into traffic again. I had no idea what to expect, but I did know I had to follow my friend in case she ended up in danger. For all I knew, she was heading into a trap.

We ended up outside a restaurant downtown. I dropped off the cab, crawled out from under it and peeked over the edge of the sidewalk. A scrawny looking blonde was hanging around nervously a little way down from the door, wearing a jacket a few sizes too big for her. Cute enough, but she had that look about her that suggested she was into the hard stuff, probably heroin. Too bad. She and Cybersix seemed to see each other at the same time, and I saw her face light up.

“Hi Cyb!” she exclaimed as the other two approached her. Cybersix called her Maura as she introduced her to the creation, who she referred to as “Mina.” From this distance I could get a better look at her, and I liked what I saw, despite my suspicion about her motives. She was just as gorgeous as Cybersix, but with long red hair instead of black, and stood several inches shorter. She spoke very little, and I thought I heard an accent when she did. It struck me as odd at the time, but I would find out the reason soon enough.

After a minute or two, they headed inside. A blonde, a brunette and a redhead walk into a restaurant. Sounds like the beginning of a tired joke. I considered my options and decided to follow them inside, hoping to get my hands on some food. I was going to be waiting a long time, anyway.

I always try my best to stay unnoticed, but you’d be amazed how profoundly unobservant people are. Most of the time, I can run flat out across a sidewalk if I want to, sometimes even in daylight, without anyone noticing. People are so absorbed in their own mundane little worlds, their own business and troubles, that something as bizarre as a 30-centimeter-tall man running around just doesn’t register with them. It’s children that I have to watch out for. They notice everything, even if none of the adults around them are willing to believe that they saw me.

There were no children to worry about around here though, and I got inside completely unseen. From behind a potted plant, I watched Cybersix and her friends until they were seated. I could have followed them and eavesdropped on their conversation, but I knew it wouldn’t give me any of the answers I wanted. They weren’t likely to talk openly about their origins with a human, especially in a crowded place like this. And if that woman were leading Cyber into a trap, anything she said about herself would be a lie.

So, I slipped to the back of the restaurant and into the kitchen, where I managed to confuse the hell out of the staff by making off with bits of food here and there. Someone would swear the tomato slices had been pulled apart from each other when his head was turned, or that the spoon was _right there_ a second ago, and now it was out the bowl and laying across the counter. I like to have my fun, and I also like my food as fresh as anyone else does. I mean, I wasn’t going to eat crumbs off the floor. I’m not an animal!

Once I was full, and the kitchen was full of people convinced they were all going crazy, I decided to head outside. I expected the girls wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon and figured I’d enjoy the night air up on the awning until then. For someone as small as me, a fabric awning is like a huge hammock. As long as the pigeons don’t get overly friendly, it’s a nice private spot to relax.

As I expected, it was much later when Cybersix and the others emerged, and I realized I was half asleep. I snapped to attention and listened as they exchanged goodbyes and prepared to part ways. Maura went one way and Cybersix and “Mina” went the other.

I climbed down off the awning and followed at a short distance, hoping Cybersix wouldn’t take off onto the rooftops and leave me in the dust. I wanted to confront them together, didn’t want the redhead knowing I was on to her before I could warn Cybersix.

I got lucky. The two of them decided to head for a nearby park for a while, a decision I couldn’t imagine too many human women would choose to make this late at night. Von Reichter’s creations weren’t the only threats lurking out there in the darkness.

I could hear them better as they left the crowds behind. The creation’s German accent was clear now, and it scared the hell out of me, though I couldn’t have told you exactly why that was. Maybe because it implied such a close connection to the doctor. More and more, I was convinced of the danger Cybersix was in.

They reached the intersection at the edge of the park and crossed the street. Dodging traffic took me longer than expected, and I started getting a little panicked at the thought of getting to them too late. By the time I got to the other side, the two women were far ahead of me in the trees. I ran as fast as I could toward them, hidden in the darkness beyond the streetlights.

Cybersix and the creature were sitting together on a bench when I finally reached them. Exhausted, I stood in the shelter of a bush on the opposite side of the path and took a moment to catch my breath. Once I felt better, I considered my next move. I couldn’t do much in the way of physical intimidation, but psychological, sure. Throwing the woman off-balance a little was a solid way to start. There was an ornamental tree of some kind to my left, with a few branches overhanging the path. I started climbing.

“You seem to be feeling a lot better,” I heard Cybersix say. “Is everything working out? With the living situation, I mean.”

“Yes, I think so.”

“That’s good. I know we’ll have to come up with something more permanent eventually but, well, you know how it is.”

I reached the lowest branch and began edging out along it, until I was almost above the bench. The creature looked pensive.

“I know.” She looked at her hands, folded neatly in her lap. “Cyber, I want to tell you something, but...will you promise not to tell anyone else?”

_Oh shit,_ I thought. _This is it._ She was about to make her move.

Cybersix looked surprised. “Of course,” she answered.

“Well,” the creature started slowly. I rocked the branch up and down and the leaves shuffled softly. Too softly. I did it again, a little harder. The creature threw a glance above her but didn’t see me. “I think that maybe...”

I tore a few leaves loose and shook the branch again as they fluttered down conspicuously. The creature looked up, more carefully this time. We made eye contact. She was from the lab, all right. The colour drained from her face and she froze.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Cybersix asked her, concern in her voice.

The creature looked at her, then back at me. “I think...I’ve had too much wine,” she said quietly.

“Why? Do you feel sick?”

“No, I’m seeing a – a little man, looking at me from the tree.”

“A little – wait a minute.” Cybersix followed her line of sight and spotted me. “Hey!”

I hung from the branch by my arms for a moment before freefalling on to the dirt path, landing on my feet. I dusted myself off and headed straight for the creature. I glared up at her, and she seemed to shrink back from me. Perfect.

“You!” I shouted, pointing accusingly at the creature. “Who are you?”


	2. Chapter 2

“Big Bang...” I heard Cybersix start.

I kept my eyes locked on the other woman. She stammered. “M-my name is Mina -”

“Oh, bullshit!” I cut her off. “I know what you are! What’s your _real_ name? Your series? Your number?”

“Big, stop it! That’s enough!”

I shot an angry look at Cybersix. “She’s one of von Reichter’s! Can’t you see that? Who knows what the hell she’s planning to do to you!”

The creature shot to her feet and I jumped back a little, despite myself. She stared down at me, red-faced and furious.

“How dare you?” she yelled. “I would never hurt Cybersix! Never!” Her lip was trembling, and I realized she was trying not to cry. What the hell?

Cyber stood up and put her arm around the woman, who turned to her with a pleading look.

“It’s okay, Genesis. He just doesn’t know what happened.” She gently guided the redhead back down to the bench with her. To me, she said: “I know she’s one of us, Big. Of course I know that. But she saved my life, and now she’s a renegade like me.”

“You saved _me_ ,” Genesis interjected. “Here, I can show to him.” She suddenly started unbuttoning the denim jacket she was wearing. It was only now that I noticed that she had been wearing it done up, despite the warm night.

She pulled it off carefully, revealing a square of gauze taped to a spot under her right collarbone, and a bandage around her upper right arm. Colourful bruising spread out past the edges of the dressings, in those strange shades that show up at a later stage of healing.

“Herr Doktor – I mean, _he_ – shot at Cybersix and I pushed her away,” said Genesis. “It went through, here and here,” she pointed at the opposing sides of her bandaged arm.

“Then he turned the gun on Genesis, and I tried to pull her out of the way,” continued Cybersix. “The bullet missed her heart and lungs, but if she wasn’t built like me, I don’t think she would have survived. We got lucky.” They smiled at each other, and it was easy to see the sense of trust they shared.

I stood there silently for a moment, feeling like the biggest smallest asshole in the world. There was no trap. Cybersix had never been in any danger. I should have admitted my mistake and apologized right there and then.

Instead, I crossed my arms and nodded. “Okay, I get it. And now you’re hiding her under a new name. Has Reichter been looking for her?”

“Not yet. I’m not sure he knows she survived. She’s been living with a friend of mine while she recovers.”

“Cyber gave me the name,” said Genesis proudly. “Mina, like the woman in the story of Dracula.”

“The heroine,” Cybersix reminded her.

I remembered what had been bothering me earlier and turned to Genesis. “Look, there’s something I still don’t understand. Out of all the creations I’ve come across, why are you the only one who speaks German?”

I could have kicked myself when I saw the effect my question had on her. Her face fell, and she seemed to shrink in on herself. I didn’t understand and looked at Cybersix in confusion.

She took pity on me. “Well, that’s a bit of sensitive subject -”

“Because I was not meant to be like the others,” Genesis interrupted, staring down at her hands. “I was meant to be his.”

I realized what she was implying, and I got chills all over again. The idea of this sweet, sensitive creature living in the belly of the beast and being subjected to a life like that was, quite frankly, a nightmare. Maybe it hadn’t been so bad at first, when it had been all she had known. But for some reason she had ended up in Meridiana, in the real world, and the veil had been lifted. She practically radiated shame, and I felt bad for her.

I climbed up onto the bench and approached Genesis, putting my hand on her arm. She looked down at me and I felt her pulse quicken a little under her skin. I tend to have that effect on women, and that’s not just my ego talking, that’s by genetic design. For once, though, that wasn’t my intention. Maybe I just shouldn’t have touched her, but I had been a bit of an ass and now I was trying to be sincere.

“It’s not your fault, you know,” I told her. “No one gets to decide how they’re born. Cybersix didn’t decide to be a super soldier any more than you decided to be – well, who you were supposed to be.” I caught myself before I said anything I couldn’t take back.

“But I’m...” she was searching for a word, “... _verdorben_.”

It could have been the language barrier that made her use German, but I wasn’t so sure. I suspected she really did know the right word but couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud. I tried something else. “You know, I think we have a lot in common. Besides the obvious, I mean. I bet you were never meant to leave the compound, right? Well, I don’t think I was, either.”

“Really?”

“Sure. I was the very first creation von Reichter ever made.”

She looked amazed. “You were?” It was working.

“That’s right. Big Bang, the perfect man! Well, except maybe in the height department.” She giggled. “But as you can see, that never slowed me down.”

“A storm flooded the compound and he got washed away into the river,” Cybersix told her. “He ended up in the ocean, got on a ship, and since then, he’s been all over the world. He’s the only one of us who doesn’t need sustenance so he’s completely free.”

“But I remember what it was like before,” I continued. “You may not have been the only creation there like I was, but you probably felt like you were alone. Am I right?”

She nodded. “I couldn’t talk to the others. I couldn’t talk Spanish until the doctor let me to learn it.”

“And even though you were his favourite, you still had to be careful not to make him angry. There was always that tension under the surface, wasn’t there?”

“Oh yes. And... I also didn’t want to make Herr Krumens angry. But I always did. He didn’t like me very much.”

I had to laugh. “Oh, I’ll bet he didn’t!” She looked at me oddly, and I realized she didn’t understand why it was so funny. Oh well. “You see what I mean? We’re not so different. All three of us escaped, one way or another. Now we can forge our own paths.” I impressed myself with that last bit.

“He’s right,” agreed Cybersix. “And you’re already making friends. You’ve got me, and Lucas, and Maura. And Miao. I think he’s really glad he met you.”

I saw the look Genesis gave her at the mention of the last name. Whoever he was, it was clear the feeling was mutual and I hoped he was a patient man. I wondered if she would be able to push past her anxieties and tell him.

The situation seemed to have been sorted out nicely. In fact, things were beginning to get distinctly saccharine when the peace was broken by a pair of loud male voices coming from somewhere down the path.


	3. Chapter 3

Genesis ushered me under the jacket lying beside her and I crawled in quickly. It wasn’t long before I realized we were in for trouble – the smell of alcohol hit me like an eighteen-wheeler as the men got closer. Whoever they were, they had been hitting the bars pretty hard and now they were about to come across a pair of beautiful women. Women who, as far as they knew, were alone.

There was a drunken noise of enthusiasm as they caught sight of Cybersix and Genesis. I lay perfectly still and listened to the sound of their unsteady gaits approaching. They came to an ungraceful stop in front of the bench and another wave of alcohol and stale cigarette smoke washed over us. Sometimes a heightened sense of smell is a real curse.

“What’s goin’ on, ladies?” slurred one of men as the other one giggled to himself, before loudly echoing his friend: “ _ladies!_ ” They sounded young; just barely old enough to get into the bars and were evidently trying to make the most of it.

“We’re just fine, thanks,” I heard Cybersix answer. Her tone was patient enough but made it clear that she had been in this situation many times before. I couldn’t say I was surprised. A woman like her must be used to dealing with a lot of male attention, wanted or otherwise.

“Aww, come on baby, don’t be like that. Come party with us!”

“Yeah, look at this one!” said the other man. “She...she likes it rough, don’t you, honey?”

I heard Genesis let out a gasp of indignance as he laughed. Chances were, she had never been spoken to like that in her entire life.

“All right, that’s enough, guys. Time to move on.” Cyber’s patience was running out.

“No...no, I don’t think it’s enough,” the first man said, and I felt myself tense up. “I think it’s very...not enough.”

“Cyber...” I heard Genesis start. She sounded scared.

“Take it off, Red!” demanded his friend. “I wanna see if the carpet matches the drapes!”

Now, at this point I feel I need to clarify something. See, I’m perfectly aware that Cybersix and Genesis weren’t truly in any physical danger at that moment. I didn’t know at the time whether Genesis had superhuman strength, but I knew Cybersix could easily dispatch a pair of human men by herself. They didn’t need me to save the day for them. But I knew I wasn’t going to be able to just lie there uselessly, and... well, to be honest, I still felt a little like I owed them something after barging in on their evening and making a nuisance of myself. So, when inspiration struck me, I went with it and lay in wait for the right moment. When I heard the men start towards them, I threw the jacket aside and made myself visible.

“Okay boys, hold it right there!” I announced. All four of them looked down at me in surprise. The two men’s jaws actually dropped open.

“What the fuck is that?” squeaked one of them, jabbing a finger in my direction.

“Don’t bother asking the girls – they can’t see or hear me!” I answered quickly, hoping Cybersix and Genesis would play along.

The men tried anyway. “Are you seeing this shit?” the other one asked.

The women shared a look and turned back to them blankly.

“Seeing what? There’s nothing there,” said Cybersix in a bewildered voice. I knew I could count on them.

“But he’s there! He’s _right there!_ Some kind of little...man thing! You looked right at him!”

She shrugged. “You were staring at something, so we looked there too. But all I see is a jacket.”

Genesis turned to Cyber. “They are seeing things that are not there?” she asked, exaggerating her accent for all it was worth.

_Well played, ladies,_ I thought. I turned back to the men. “See? What did I tell you?”

They couldn’t take their eyes off me. “What _are_ you?”

I smirked. “Well, I’m not surprised you don’t recognize me – not with the way you’ve been acting. I’m your conscience!”

This was clearly more than their inebriated brains were prepared for. After a moment, one of them spoke. “But...then how come there’s one of us, and only two of you?” He frowned. “Wait.”

I held my hands up in defeat. “That’s exactly the problem. You both use your consciences so little; you end up with having to share a single one. Now why don’t you listen to me for once, and leave these nice girls alone?”

Mr. Carpet-Matches-The-Drapes decided to be a tough guy and moved toward me. “You...you ain’t even real! We don’t hafta listen to you!”

I had expected something like this to happen, and to tell you the truth, I was looking forward to it.

“Well, in that case I’ll just have to remind you...” I began, backing up for a running start. Before either of them could react, I had launched myself off the bench and onto the front of the carpet enthusiast. He stumbled back and screamed in panic as I scrambled up his shirt like a squirrel.

“...Remind you,” I continued, reaching his face and landing a punch in his eye, “to always let your conscience...” he grabbed for me wildly and I dodged his hands, leaping at his horrified friend.

“...Be your guide!” Now his friend began screaming. I crawled into his hair and grabbed hold as hard as I could as he tried in vain to get me loose.

I finally let go and jumped clear as the two of them took off like madmen down the path. Dusting my hands after a job well done, I returned to the bench, where Cybersix and Genesis were in peals of laughter.

“That was fantastic, Big!” said Cyber after a moment, wiping at an eye.

“Wonderful!” agreed Genesis.

“But we really could have dealt with them ourselves, you know,” Cyber teased.

I grinned. “I know that - but it was so much funnier this way!”

“Okay, you’ve got me there.” She stood up and Genesis followed suit. “But I think that’s enough entertainment for me tonight. Want to escort us back to my apartment?” She reached her hand out to me.

I jumped on and climbed up to her shoulder. “Sure. But can we walk at least part of the way? I can’t take too much of your rooftop acrobatics.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll go easy on you.”

We parted ways outside Cyber’s building, and I promised to drop by again before I left town. Genesis told me how nice it was to meet me, planting a gentle kiss on my head and blushing deeply. I would find out the rest of her story later, and while it didn’t make things any less disturbing, it did give me a better understanding of what was going on. For now, though, my heart went out to her. She and Cybersix needed each other.

The girls went upstairs and I headed back to the hotel, looking forward to a good sleep in a fancy room. All in all, it had been a productive night. That Cybersix always has something interesting going on.

I can go anywhere and do anything, but for some reason I keep coming back to Meridiana.


End file.
